Easy Yuzu Shortbread Bars (Lemon Bar Variation)

Indulge in this simple and tasty yuzu bars recipe, featuring a refreshing Japanese citrus flavor and a buttery shortbread crust. It’s a simple recipe perfect for even beginner bakers!

It’s been a while, but I’m back with another easy yuzu recipe! If you’ve been with me for a while, you may remember my easy, creamy yuzu pie bars with a graham cracker crust and whipped cream topping. Those yuzu pie bars received rave reviews from my friends and have been made many times.

But sometimes I don’t really want something creamy; I just want something tart and sweet. Et voila! Yuzu bars! A riff on the classic lemon bars, these yuzu bars are even easier than the pie version and just as delicious.

Introduction to Yuzu

What is Yuzu?

Yuzu is a citrus fruit very popular in Japan. Large ones can be about the size of a grapefruit. 

What Does Yuzu Taste Like?

Yuzu is very tart, like a lemon, but less bitter than grapefruit and is not commonly eaten as a fresh fruit. However, like lemon and limes, it is a popular flavor to incorporate into other foods (and home goods!) in Japan, such as dipping sauces or desserts. You can find yuzu ponzu sauce, yuzu seasonings, yuzu ice cream, yuzu teas, yuzu scented hand creams and more!

Can you get yuzu fruit in the US?

Yes, some Asian markets will sell fresh yuzu fruits. However, they are often expensive, and yuzu is NOTORIOUS for not being super juicy. In other words, you may have to buy a lot of yuzu in order to squeeze enough juice for a recipe.

I’ve also heard that yuzu trees grow very well in certain climates, like my own Seattle area! I have looked into growing my own yuzu, and I have some friends who grow yuzu in LA. But honestly, having a pear and apple tree in my backyard, I know how much work it takes to grow fruit trees… and knowing that you need a lot of fresh fruits to get enough yuzu juice to cook with, I’m not really banking on growing my own anytime soon.

Ingredients Needed for Yuzu Bars

These yuzu bars are a pretty simple recipe, great for beginner bakers! I actually got this recipe from my mom, who is kind of notorious for being a bad cook in our family (sorry, mom). So if she can make this, so can you. You only need eight ingredients total:

For the shortbread crust:

• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter 115g
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar 60g
• 1 cup all purpose flour 125g
• 1 cup granulated sugar 200g

For the yuzu filling:

• 2 tbsp all purpose flour 15g
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup yuzu juice

9 ingredients if you add in optional powdered sugar for dusting on top. 

Where to Find Yuzu Juice

This recipe calls for yuzu juice, which you can get from fresh yuzu fruits (see above for why that may be difficult) or from a bottle. I find bottles of yuzu juice at my local Japanese grocery stores. Please be aware! Bottled yuzu juice varies WILDLY in tartness! Some bottles are actually made with yuzu juice concentrate or yuzu extract, which means they are suuuuuuuper tart. Please taste your yuzu juice before you put it in this recipe. You want your juice to be about as tart as lemon juice. If it’s way too bitter or sour, simply dilute it with some water.

If you don’t have Asian grocery stores with yuzu juice near you, you can buy it online. Amazon has some options, although they may be more expensive than what you can find in person.

Tips For Making Shortbread Crust for Yuzu or Lemon Bars

The crust for these yuzu bars is actually a shortbread cookie dough. So if you can make cookies, you can make this crust. First you’re going to cream softened butter, sugar, and salt until it’s light and fluffy. Make sure your butter has softened to room temperature, which makes creaming much easier. Then add your flour and mix until JUST combined. Don’t overwork the dough or it may develop gluten and shrink in the oven. It’s okay if the dough still looks crumbly. When you press it into the bottom of your baking pan, it’ll come together.

Finally, don’t overbake your crust. Remember that you’ll pour the filling on top and bake again, so it’s okay if it looks underbaked when you take it out. An overbaked crust may also pull away from the sides of the pan, which means that the filling may pour down the sides and underneath the crust instead of sit on top.

Preparing The Yuzu Filling

Preparing the filling is as easy as mixing everything together. Try not to whisk the mixture too much; you’re not trying to get an airy and fluffy souffle texture but more like a dense curd.

Baking And Cooling The Yuzu Bars

My recommendation is to take the parbaked crust out of the oven and then mix your filling together. The filling comes together super quick, but it’s just the right amount of time to let your baking tin cool slightly before pouring the filling in. If the baking pan is super hot, it may cook the eggs in the filling too fast.

Then, bake the bars until the filling is just set. When you look at the pan, the center may still look a little wiggly and jiggly. That’s okay. Remember we are going for curd texture. We just don’t want it to be liquidy and runny. If you overbake the bars, there’s a risk for the filling to get a scrambled egg texture.

Finally, let the bars cool before dusting and slicing. The warm yuzu filling may be too goopy to slice until it’s fully cooled down.

Yuzu Bar Variations (Lemon Bars and More)

Looking for variations on these yuzu bars? Try substituting the yuzu juice for lemon juice, or another tart citrus juice. Another suggestion is to add in 1/4 tsp of extract to the filling. I recommend doing almond or orange blossom, as their floral notes pair well with yuzu. Elderflower would also be good! You could also try adding some vanilla extract or ground nuts to the shortbread crust as well.

More Yuzu Dessert Recipes

If you liked this recipe, check out my other yuzu dessert recipes!

• Creamy Yuzu Pie Bars
• Easy Yuzu Pie
• Yuzu Glazed Donuts
• Lemon Yuzu Cupcakes